


Fate's Playthings

by FacepalmUnited



Category: RWBY
Genre: AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Urban Fantasy, White Rose - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-02-18 13:10:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21611419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FacepalmUnited/pseuds/FacepalmUnited
Summary: Weiss Schnee never knew much about her family. All she had growing up was her mother and no one else. However, after a fateful meeting, she finally realizes what the Schnee name truly means. Now wrapped up in a war few know about, decisions have to be made. Who is she really? What does fate have in store for her? And who is this girl she keeps on meeting?Urban Fantasy AU featuring White Rose and some background Bumblebee
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 9
Kudos: 126





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. This is my first time posting anything I've written. I'm not sure how often this will update, but I'll try to do so as often as I can. I'm still new to writing so this may not be the best.

Run. Don’t look back.

A fire raged behind Willow as she fled from the now-ruined city, beasts of bone and dark chasing after them. A dark sky, accompanied by bolts of red electricity, overlooked them. Only two sounds were audible, the roars of the monsters, and the breaths of her child. She slowly approached the edge of the forest, making sure she was not seen. The ruins of Vale surrounded her, the blaze overtaking all she could see.

The baby in her arms was pale, with white hair and pale, blue eyes. A faint glow surrounded her, illuminating the night. The woman attempted to hide the child under her cloak, still failing to hide the light. From her right, two wolf-like creatures revealed themselves, but they did not yet see her. Cradling the baby, she hid behind a fallen log and held her close to her chest. There was no guarantee that they would stay hidden, but it was definitely safer than staying in the open.

One of the wolves arrived much too close to her, almost close enough to smell her. She held her breath for what seemed like an eternity, before the beast finally left her alone. She let out a sigh of relief, and then heard a distant howl to which the wolf responded. 

The baby responded as well.

Now alerted by the cries, the wolf charged at the woman, who was now fleeing at an otherworldly speed into the forest.

Where is she? Willow thought to herself while traversing the obstacle course of trees. The beast was closing in on her, tearing through braches like they were paper. The woman, baby in hand, leaped over a shallow stream with the beast closing in on her. She looked back for a moment, but that was still too long. Her foot caught onto a root, and she was sent tumbling towards the ground. She was hurt, but the baby was fine. That was all that mattered.

The beast pounced, its razor claws and fangs bared. The woman closed her eyes, embracing her end, but instead of blades sinking into her, nothing took its place. She opened her eyes and saw the beast turning to smoke as a woman, clad in a white cloak, held a sword in the air. 

“I told you to wait for me,” she spoke, extending a hand towards the fallen woman, pulling her back up. Willow took the hand of Summer Rose, making sure to keep her child close. Summer began to speak again, only to pause. She stared at the baby, clutched in WIllow’s arms before stammering, “Where’s Winter?” Tears fell down Willow’s eyes, landing near the baby’s bald head.

“Winter didn’t make it. S-she tried facing an Ursa on her own.” Summer gasped, holding in her oncoming tears.

“O-oh. My condolences.” She sheathed her blade and moved closer to the crying woman.

“What about your daughters? Are they safe?” Willow muttered. 

“They’re with their father. Patch should be safe enough for them.” A distant howl was heard, releasing a shiver in WIllow’s spine. “We don’t have long. She’s here.” Summer began to leave, but Willow was rooted in place. “WIllow? You okay?”

“Can we even escape? If Salem is here then we’ve already-” She was shushed by Summer, who placed a finger over her mouth.

“She’s fighting Qrow right now. We don’t have long but we can escape. Just trust me.” Taking Willow’s hand, she fled deeper into the forest. If not for the threat of imminent death, this may have been a relaxing walk. The trees swayed with the songs of birds and cricket. A stream flowed beside them. Unfortunately, distant screams overpowered this, turning what was normally serene into a horror. Eventually, the pair found their way out of the forest and to Vale's border. Now met with a thick fog, Summer stopped.

“Go,” She spoke, causing Willow to pause.

“What? You’re not coming?” She stammered. Summer sighed and then placed both hands on her friend’s shoulders.

“I can’t sense Qrow anymore. Salem will be here soon. I can hold her off long enough for you to escape.” Tears began to flow down WIllow’s face. She couldn’t let Summer kill herself like this.

“I won’t let you do this. You’ll die!” She screamed, scaring her child awake.

“I’m sorry Willow.” Snarls became audible behind them along with a horse’s footsteps. “We just don’t have the time. Summer stepped away from her friend and drew her blade, a gleaming silver and red longsword with a needle-thin point. “Tell the kids I’m sorry.” And with those final words, Summer ran back into the forest, her blade held high.

Willow clutched her wailing child close to her chest, her eyes red and as pouring like rain. The fog surrounding her rendered her blind and deaf. What direction she was going in, she was unsure of. She wandered for hours on end with no hope in sight. She was hungry, having not eaten since the day before. Her sight, at least what she still had of it, grew dim, and she fell to the ground, still holding her child tight.

When she awoke, she was in a sterile, white room with various tubes entering her body. She couldn’t tell where she was, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was her child. She attempted an escape as a woman in a white and red outfit entered the room.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” She spoke in a gentle voice. “I have some questions for you.”

“Where’s my daughter?” Willow spoke, her voice rough and tired.

“Don’t worry, she’s safe, just in a different room. I must ask, what happened to you?”  
“Where am I?

“What a strange question. You’re in Atlas.”


	2. The Daughter

**_*17 years later*_ **

Weiss let out an exhausted sigh, looking up from her messy, sleep-deprived notes. Her English teacher, Mrs. Peach, continued her ramblings. Around her, classmates were drifting in and out of sleep, with only a few actually paying attention. Her thoughts wandered elsewhere, already to distracted to comprehend her teacher’s rant. 

She knew she should have been paying attention, after all it was a miracle she could even go to this school. Atlas High wasn’t ideal, with low funding and few programs, but it was all she could afford. Her family was relatively poor, with her mother having to work two jobs to support them. Life for her was, for lack of a better word, shitty. It could be worse, however. From what her mother had told her, they used to live somewhere much worse but moved when she was a baby, as hard as that was to imagine. At last, a bell rang, and Mrs. Peach’s speech stopped.

“That’s all for today it seems. You don’t have any homework besides studying for Friday’s test,” she finished. Weiss silently packed her bag and exited the classroom and left the classroom, seemingly unnoticed by everyone else. She made her way outside and began the long walk home.

Weiss checked her phone, a single text from her mother visible. _Be home by 5._ She had time to spare, so she decided to take the long way: through an old park, almost abandoned by the rest of the world. As usual, she was the only person there. Looking back on it, she had never seen anyone here besides herself. She passed by a small playground, with the only people playing on it being small animals, mostly birds and squirrels. A harsh breeze passed by, scattering leaves in the wind.

 _I should have brought a thicker jacket_ , she thought to herself, shivering in the cold. Despite Atlas being naturally cold, this winter had been so much worse than usual. She endured, her feet sinking into the powdery white with every step. The area always seemed tranquil to her, relaxing. She breathed in the cold air and took in all the noises nature provided her. The crunch the snow made as she stepped, the soft rustling of the trees, the chirping of a bird. It was almost therapeutic. The calm before the storm that was her home.

_Chirp!_

Her ears perked up. Something was disturbing her peace. She looked around for the source of the disturbance before nearly stepping on it. Almost hidden in the snow was a small, fledgling robin, struggling to escape its wintry prison. In a panic, Weiss leaned down and dug away at the snow surrounding it. Once that was finished, she gently lifted the chick up in her palm and searched for a nest. 

“No nest? How did it get here then?” She said jokingly. The robin chirped in response, as if it was telling an anecdote. Weiss chuckled and carried it to the playground. She removed her phone and searched on Expedition, “what to do when you find a bird on the ground.” Eventually, she came to the conclusion that she should just wait for the parents. Fine with her. She sat down on a swing and placed the bird on one next to her.

“I guess we’re waiting here,” she muttered to the bird. Weiss chuckled. “Why am I talking to you?” The robin simply stared at her in response, tilting its head in a very childish manner. Weiss took this moment to inspect it closer. It was fairly small, with very fluffy feathers. There was a small amount of snow piling on its back. Most surprisingly, there was a small amount of scarring over its left eye. Could it have gotten this from its fall? No, that’s not possible. It was already healed. But this seemed like a child. How could this have happened?

Weiss’ thoughts were interrupted by a soft chirp. The robin stared into the distance, and after a quick glance back at her, it flew away. 

Strange.

She could have sworn she heard it say, “Thank you.”

3:57

Weiss, dismissing this as her just hearing things, elected to leave the park. There was no harm in arriving early. She eventually found herself out of the park and into the main area of the city. It had always disturbed Weiss how much the run down, gloomy Mantle contrasted with the area around it. The park, whose name she still did not know, was one of the few places in the city that wasn’t an urban hellhole. Almost no signs of natural light were present, as well as few plants. The air was stuffy, a result of the numerous factories. Passing through a small gate, she found herself in a small neighborhood composed of tiny houses. 

Finding her way to her house, she approached an old, rickety mailbox, removing its contents. _Trash. Trash. Trash. Electric Bill?_ Weiss took the letter and opened it as she entered her house. _Overdue._

_Great,_ she thought to herself, tossing the mail onto the kitchen table and plopping her bag onto a chair. Once again, her mom was away, probably at a bar again. She groaned and began her homework, waiting for her mother, just like yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that…

Weiss woke up with a start, her face on a page of calculus homework. She scrambled for her phone, finding it on the floor. 8:00. Willow still was not home. Weiss sighed, opening her fridge and searching for a microwavable meal. She ate in silence, pausing only to momentarily check her phone for any sign of her mother. A futile effort. She finished faster than usual, proceeding to return to her work.

After some time, a furious banging attacked the front door. Weiss, already attempting to sleep, rolled out of her diminutive bed. 

11:36

She scrambled to the entrance, unlocking it and revealing Willow falling forward. Weiss caught her mother midfall, and with some difficulty, dragged her towards the couch.

Willow, with a slur in her voice, gestured Weiss away, murmuring, “Let me go.” The woman escaped her daughter’s grasp, falling onto the shoddy, worn-out couch. She soon closed her eyes and entered her sleep. Weiss turned her onto her side and brought dragged a chair into the room. _Another sleepless night,_ she thought, used to dealing with her mother’s drunkenness. She set a timer on her phone, 10 minutes, and waited.

“Don’t go, Summer.”

Weiss’s ears perked up. In her drunken periods of sleep, Willow would speak about people Weiss had never heard of. Qrow, Winter, Itzel, Klein, and of course, Summer. From what she could gather from the mumbled ramblings, her mother was incredibly close to “Summer.” She’d asked Willow a few times about who this was, but the response was always the same: It didn’t matter, she was gone.

 _BEEP. BEEEEP._ Weiss snapped back to reality. The alarm on her phone blaring. She rushed to her mother and shook her awake, prompting the drunkard to shoo her away. Weiss let out a sigh of relief and returned to her chair, starting another alarm. It was going to be a long night.

“Jacques no…”

Weiss’s eyes burst open. 

2:27. 

Her mother, still on the couch, was trembling. Pained groans filled the air, punishing Weiss’s ears. Frantically, she ran to her mother, nudging her shoulder. Nothing. Willow kept wailing, spreading her shivering to her daughter. Weiss fell to the ground, her movement seemingly uncontrollable.

“Mom!” Weiss yelped, her trembling hands reaching towards Willow. She managed to place a hand on her shoulder and turn her, but that was it. Weiss collapsed back to the ground, faced her mother, and froze. A blue glow escaped Willow’s eyes, surrounding the room, and soon all became still.

6:30.

An alarm sounded on Weiss’ phone, followed by Willow’s eyes fluttering awake. Sluggishly, she got off the couch and stepped on something rough. _What was that?_ She pondered before looking down and seeing Weiss, unmoving and corpse-like. The girl was frozen in place, with a yellow-white aura surrounding her. Immediately, Willow backed off and snapped her fingers, bringing the color into her hand, dissipating it into a vapor.

“Oh my gods!” She whelped, reaching down and bringing her daughter into her arms. “Are you okay?” Weiss gasped for air, going deeper into the embrace. Tears began to fall down Willow’s face.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” she repeated, cradling a confused and freezing Weiss.

“W-what just happened to me?” The girl stammered, struggling to breathe. “I couldn’t breathe.”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

“Mom? MOM?” Willow escaped her trance, then separating from her daughter and staring her in the eyes.

“You cannot tell anyone about this. Understood?”

“What was that?” Weiss inquired, ignoring the order. Willow sighed and turned away, placing a hand on her forehead and thinking.

“Promise me you will keep this secret. Please.” 

“Of course, mom.”

Willow let out a deep sigh, pausing for a moment before extending a hand. A beautiful, aqua glow seeped out and formed a small, circular shape in front of her. Soon, the room around them became coated in a bright white.

“Throw something,” Willow spoke, her voice heavy and strained. Weiss, bewildered, frantically searched her pockets for an object. “Anything. Your phone! Throw me your phone.” Weiss picked up her phone off of the ground and, after a short pause, tossed it to her mother. It traveled leisurely, becoming slower and slower until it finally reached a stop midair. Weiss, stunned, approached it and gave it a gentle nudge, causing it to repeat the same process as before.

“What is this?” She asked, still gawking at the floating phone.

“A glyph. One of time dilation. You can do this too.” For a moment, Willow froze. She promptly fell to her knees, dropping the phone in the process, landing on the ground with a terrible sound. “Crap. Sorry about that.” Weiss, still in shock, picked up her phone, now featuring a large crack stemming from one of the corners.

“Why are you telling me this?” Weiss asked, placing her device back in her pocket. 

“You would have found out eventually. It was only a matter of time. Frankly, I’m glad I could finally tell you.” She paused, glancing at a clock. “Get some rest. We’re leaving tonight.”

“What did you say?” Weiss exclaimed.

“Dear. I wasn’t at a bar last night. I’ll explain it all later. Just go to school and we’ll leave when you get back.” Weiss was speechless. Leaving? “Please Weiss. Just listen to me.” Weiss nodded and proceeded to her room. 

Sometime later, Weiss finally left her house. As soon as she stepped through the door, she was struck by an immense cold. Somehow, it felt colder than the previous day. The walk to school would be a struggle today. She barely made three steps before-

_Chirp!_

Standing on top of a nearby tree, was the robin from yesterday, staring at Weiss, beckoning her closer. With what seemed like a giggle, it began to fly away, only to stop when Weiss didn’t follow. Taking a hint, Weiss trudged after the energetic bird. If she was leaving today, school didn’t really matter after all. Her feet sank into the snow with each step harder than the last. The path she was taking seemed familiar, although with the coming fog, it was hard to tell exactly where they were headed.

Soon enough, after an excruciating amount of time, the bird disappeared in the mist. Weiss, now surrounded by white and nothing else, was alone. 

_Where did you take me?_ She thought, slowly navigating through the fog, putting her hands out in an attempt to find some semblance of what was around her. _Careful._ She took a calculated step forward, her feet now touching something hard. A stone? No, a path. Following it, she immediately recognized where she was: the park. She had walked this path many times before. She practically memorized it. Now pacing around the landscape, she heard a massive crash, followed by a loud squeal. Weiss immediately gawked in its direction, and approached it, making each step slow and steady. An otherworldly flash of light shined through the mist, lingering long enough for Weiss to witness the robin.

Only it wasn’t a robin.

It was a girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. First actual chapter of the story. I apologize if the plot seems a bit rushed. When brainstorming this story, I decided to introduce the "magical" parts of the world as soon as I can so I can get to the more substance heavy parts of it sooner. With that out of the way, enjoy! I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.


	3. The Mother

What. The. Hell.

Willow sat at a bar’s counter, several empty shots of some unholy concoction of anything alcoholic in front of her. A large glass was in her hand, finished within seconds as she received another. With a nervous glance, she turned to the man sitting beside her. The man, tall and skinny with spiky black hair and a poor shave, was supposed to be dead. Qrow Branwen was defeated by _her_ years ago on the day she left, and yet here he was sipping whiskey. She sighed and returned to her drink.

“Wow, this is excessive. Even for me,” he quipped, failing to get Willow’s attention. “Willow, come on.”

She put another, now empty, glass down on the counter, prompting the bartender to bring another.

Is this really what you’ve been doing this whole time?”

Willow grabbed her new drink, ignoring him and drinking it all in one long chug. The bartender gave up, bringing her a whole bottle. Before she could grab it, however, Qrow took it and slid it away from her. Prompting an incredibly pissed off gaze from the woman.

“What do you want?” She finally answered, jaded.

“Can you give us a moment?” Qrow asked the bartender, who immediately went to collect and wash Willow’s countless glasses. “How do you even survive drinking that much?”

“My aura sustains it until it breaks. I can handle more than most people.”

“Clearly,” he joked, gaining no response. He gave up with humor, switching to a far more stern tone. “Willow. You have come back to Vale. There’s something-” 

“Stop. Whatever you want, I’m not listening. Vale’s already lost.”

“Don’t say that. Salem still hasn’t found Beacon. It’s completely safe, or at least it will be once you return.” Willow pondered for a matter of seconds before realizing what this meant.

“So you want my semblance. Not me.” 

“Of course not. You were one of the finest huntresses we ever had. The dragon story is still told today.” Willow stared dumbfounded. Did she lock a massive dragon into a set point in time? Yes. Was that something to celebrate? Of course not. It was only a matter of time until the time dust ran out of its power and the dragon was released again. Wait.

“You just want me to pause the dragon again!” Qrow paused, taking a long sip from his drink. “I knew it. Let me guess, Ozpin’s still the de facto leader?” Once more, no answer. Willow scoffed, stumbling to her feet and placing some amount of money on the counter. She proceeded to leave before having her arm grabbed by Qrow, his hand too smooth and metallic to be human. “And Ironwood too? You’re hopeless. Tell me, why hasn’t Oz relocated yet? A massive Grimm dragon can’t be safe for, what does he call them? Students?”

“Willow, please. We know it’s dangerous, but it’s still the safest place for us. Look, I know Summer’s death was hard for you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t return.” Willow scoffed, snapping her fingers and surrounding the entire room in a glow, save for the two of them. Qrow glanced around the room, a fear growing in his face. “What are you doing?”

“Qrow. Give me one reason why I should go back to that hellhole.”

“Well, for one, Vale desperately needs leadership right now, and you were heir to the throne.”

“Leadership? Has there really not been a monarch for seventeen years? Wasn’t Itzel to be queen in my absence? Have you really been letting Oz rule over you for that long?”

“Itzel became queen three years ago. She was also assassinated a week later.” For once in this entire encounter, Willow actually felt sorrow. Itzel Ammitola was one of her closest friends. And now she’s dead, and Willow had no idea it even happened. What was she even supposed to feel right now? Sadness? Anger? Confusion? “Do you have any idea who did it?”

“Some assassin sent by Torchwick.”

“The drug dealer? I thought he was arrested.”

“It’s crime lord now. He somehow managed to escape and take over the underbelly.” Willow pondered, trying to find some response.

“What of Itzel’s daughter? She must have been born after I left.”

“Inexperienced. She’s not fit to rule. Vale’s been without a ruler for too long now. Ozpin’s been, well, difficult recently.”

“Isn’t he always? The bastard practically spoke in riddles. How hasn’t he been replaced?” She paused. “What families are competing for the throne now?”

“Only the Adel, Fall, and Arc houses remain. Of course, with your return, the Schnees could come into power again. We could use another Nicholas in these times.” Willow scoffed, turning away from Qrow in disgust. Did he actually dare to invoke her father’s name?

“So you want a naive fool in charge once more? Do you really not remember how he lost Vacuo to Her? Your forces are already spread too thin. Another Nicholas is suicide.” Qrow, taking advantage of the frozen time, stepped behind the counter and grabbed a bottle. “Weren’t you just chastising me on my drinking?”

“I’m gonna need several of these if I have to deal with you any more,” he retorted, taking a long gulp from the whiskey. “Well even if you don’t want to rule or refreeze Kevin-”

“Kevin?”

“That’s what the children call the dragon. But even if you don’t want to, we still need more fighters. I even brought your sword with me. All your other gear too.” Willow turned back to him. “What did you call it again? Eis something.”

“Eiszapfen. And I don’t want it. Why would I even fight for Ozpin again? Wasn’t he a military failure? He lost more battles than any other in our time.”

“He won one major battle. Everyone saw him as a hero, one thing led to another.” Willow stepped towards the door. “That doesn’t matter. If I can’t get to you like this, I may have another method.” Willow opened the door and stepped outside into the snow. “You may want not to come back, but I’m sure Weiss would love Vale.”

Willow froze. With one swift move of her hand, a burst of wind launched Qrow towards her, slamming his face straight into a closed fist and sending his body to the ground.

“DO NOT BRING HER INTO THIS.” Qrow stumbled back up, rubbing his cheek. “I brought her here to escape the war. I’m not just going not let you take her.”

“Look, Willow, this wasn’t my idea. If it were up to me, I’d leave you alone-”

“Bullshit.”

“But this was Oz’s idea. We were to-”

“We? Who else is here?” Qrow sighed, taking out a small tablet and placing it to his ear.

“She knows,” he muttered, prompting a nearby car to turn on its headlights. Inside was a portly, grey-haired man.

“Just you and Port? I find that hard to believe.”

“There’s someone else too. They’ve already made contact with Weiss.” Willow’s eyes twitched. “Look, Willow,” he spoke, approaching the back of the car and opening the trunk, taking out a large object covered in a sheet. “Salem’s going to find her way here eventually.” He removed the sheet, revealing a beautiful, ornate zweihander made of a bluish-white metal and presenting it to the angered woman. “You’ll have to fight again eventually.” That was it.

“How about I fight now?” Willow snapped.

With a decisive motion, she grabbed the sword and swung at Qrow’s head. He dodged backward towards the car, avoiding a barrage of slashes until he finally reached it. A red glyph formed on Willow’s blade as she made a large sweep, engulfing the blade in flames. Qrow ducked, and her flames melted the trunk door off. Qrow, taking his chance grabbed another blade from the compartment, a large two-handed saber, and moved away from his aggressor. 

Willow lunged forward, making a powerful thrust, which Qrow moved away with his own blade. He countered with a strike to her leg which she parried with her sword’s false edge. She made a wide sweep at his legs followed by an overly telegraphed overhead strike, feinted into a strike to his head using her pommel. 

Qrow stepped back, disoriented, barely blocking her next strike. She was relentless, her blade coming at him from all directions. Finally, Willow missed a strike, and seemingly disabled, opened her back to him. He thrusted, only for Eiszapfen’s handle to knock it away.

Now brandishing her sword by the blade, she slammed her pommel against Qrow’s head in a murder stroke and then hitting it against Port when he attempted to intervene, knocking him out immediately. She was a whirlwind, soon becoming too much for Qrow to handle. He tried finding an opening only to have his blade knocked out of his hands. With a swift kick, he was on the ground with a now yellow, electric blade nearly touching his throat.

“Leave us alone,” she threatened, promptly taking her blade away from him and to her side. She turned around and only made three steps before her aura flickered away and she fell to the ground.

When she finally woke up, she was in the back of Port’s car. A chill surrounded her body, and a quick look around revealed the trunk to be frozen in place. Qrow was driving with a sleeping Port in shotgun. A quick look outside confirmed that they were driving her home.

“What are you doing?” she slurred, barely able to speak. Qrow glanced at her, a large bruise on his face. “You’re still hurt. Why hasn’t your aura healed… uh. I feel like shit.”

“Don’t push yourself too much. All that alcohol’s catching up to you. Your aura stopped withholding it.” Willow stared at her hand, surrounding it in a weak, white flicker for mere seconds.

“Did anyone see our fight?” she mumbled, her eyes barely open. Gods, she felt far worse than she normally did. It had been ages since she had fought someone. At least she knew she still could, not that it mattered. 

Willow thought back to what Qrow said earlier. _She_ would eventually reach Vale if she wasn’t stopped. If that was the case, then it was certain that she’d be brought back into the war.

That Weiss would be brought into it.

There were no positive outcomes she could think of. Salem was inevitable. Fate wasn’t smiling too kindly on her it seemed. It never did. Could she even return to Vale? Did the Schnee name still mean anything? Would she still be accepted by those she abandoned? No answer came her way, but her last questions did. What would Summer do? What would she think of the person Willow had become? Oh, how she wished she could be there with her. She always knew what to do, what to say.

Her thoughts began to wander, all urgency for her future replaced with grief for her fallen friend, the same grief that consumed her every day of her life. Summer would never have let her go down this path. The drinking. The self-hate. The cowardice. The list went on and on. If Summer would here, she would absolutely want Willow to return to Vale, to face whatever horrors caused her this pain.

That’s it. She’d made her decision.

“Qrow,” she murmured, barely audible. He slowly parked the car next to the curb and turned towards Willow, who was now seeming as if she was drunk. He exited the car and opened the door for her, which she lurched out of, using the car as support. “I thought about it.”

“About what?” He replied, putting an arm around her and leading her towards her house.

“I’ll come back… I’ll go to Vale.” Qrow stared at her in disbelief.

“What made you change your mind? You seemed pretty hellbent on living the rest of your life here.”

“She… Summer wouldn’t want this. S-she’d want me to fight. I shouldn’t cower any longer.” She broke free from Qrow’s grasp and fell towards the door, leaning heavily on it. “Leave… please. Weiss can’t see you.” Qrow nodded.

“Any idea what she’d think?” he questioned, now sauntering away.

“Summer would want me to-”

“Not Summer, your daughter.”

“We’ll… we’ll see…” Qrow nodded and reentered his vehicle, Port now waking up. Soon, they were gone, leaving Willow by herself.

Groaning, she banged her fists against the door, soon falling into Weiss’s arms as it opened. Far behind her, on a nearby roof, a figure, clad in black watched. They turned towards the direction Qrow left in, and soon, with a soft moan of several creatures, vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a quick note. Occasionally I will have chapters focused on Willow instead of Weiss. With that out of the way, I hope you continue to enjoy my little story.


	4. The Bodyguard

It wasn’t a robin.

It was a girl.

Weiss was quivering, partially from cold and partially from shock. Before her was a pale girl in a red cloak. Under that was some sort of light armor, engraved with images of flowers. Her face was relatively plain, aside from the black eyepatch over her left eye. Her remaining eye shone with a beautiful silver, and her hair, black with red highlights, was spiky and disheveled. Her dark clothing stood out like a sore thumb in the white that surrounded them. She got up, using some sort of polearm as a crutch. It took her a moment, but she eventually noticed Weiss. She didn’t seem to panic or worry but was rather confused.

“Can you see me?” She spoke, her voice high and bubbly. Weiss was frozen in place. First her mother and now this? What was happening to her? “Hello? I guess she really can’t see me.” They began to sneak away into the fog.

“No, wait,” Weiss exclaimed, stepping towards the girl. “Who are you?”

“Crap. Um. You weren’t supposed to see me yet. Can you just forget I was here?” Weiss approached her, the surrounding mist beginning to clear up. When she did reach her, the girl was attempting to climb a fence. “Look, this was an accident. Just let me go and I’ll explain later.” 

_ She can’t be serious, _ Weiss thought. “At least tell me who you are.” The girl fell from the fence, only to immediately try again.  _ She really was serious. _ “There’s a path out. You don’t need to do that.”

“I’m not trying to leave, I’m trying to find a perch!” she asserted, continuing to struggle.

“How did you do that? You were a bird just a minute ago.”

“I can’t explain that now, just that we were supposed to meet tonight.” She lost her grip once more. “Dangit. Uncle Qrow’s gonna kill me. I guess now’s fine too.”

“Wait, Qrow?” Weiss recognized that name, just one of the many found in her mother’s nightmares. “Who is he? Please, just answer me!” The girl, now staring straight into Weiss’s eyes, sighed, getting back up onto her feet.

“Ruby,” she spoke, extending a hand. “The name’s Ruby Rose.” Weiss hesitantly shook it, her palms rough and calloused. With the fog gone, Weiss could see her far more clearly. Under her armor seemed to be some sort of casual attire, with skinny jeans and some sort of black t-shirt. Her eyepatch had some sort of flower insignia on it.

“Weiss-”

“Weiss Schnee!” Ruby backed off, chuckling nervously. “Sorry.” She curtsied. “Was that good enough?” Weiss raised an eyebrow at the action.

“What was that for?”

“Isn’t that what you do to royalty? Bow?” Did this girl really think she was royalty? She lived in a rented hovel with overdue water and electric bills. She had a 6-year-old phone that refused to work half the time. Although, there was the lingering possibility that she actually was. Her mother never told her where they used to live. Maybe she was some sort of aristocrat? With her mother seemingly knowing magic, maybe this wasn’t so far fetched.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Weiss replied, unsure what to do with her thoughts. “How exactly do you know this?” 

“How do I not know you? You’re a Schnee! Everyone knows about them. I wouldn’t have expected you to live in  _ Atlas _ of all places. So much worse than how a princess should live. It’s alright now, you can come back now!”

“P-princess?” Now Ruby was definitely lying. “Look, I don’t know who you think I am, but I am not a princess.” The girl laughed. “What?”

“I’m sorry, but you don’t have to lie anymore. We’re taking you back!”

“What do you mean back?” Weiss’s voice grew uneasy. “What do you mean ‘taking me back?’”

“Didn’t Willow talk to you? Uncle Qrow said she did.” So this was what her mother meant. Why didn’t she tell her there would be more people here? And more importantly, why was she never told she was royalty?

“M-mom did ask me about leaving. I thought it was just the two of us.”

“Well, now I’m here too!” Ruby cheered. Why Weiss did not know. “So tell me, is it true you came here when you were just a baby?” Weiss stared in disbelief. “Sorry, that was a bit personal I guess.”

“So who are you exactly?”

“Oh! Well, I’m in the Royal Guard so… I guess that makes me your bodyguard!” She chuckled once more. 

“Why do you keep laughing?” Ruby turned away, scratching her head.

“Sorry, I’m just really excited to finally meet you. I’ve trained my whole life for this. For you.” 

_ So I really am this important?  _ Weiss pondered. What time was it? She glanced at her phone, the crack still visible. 1 PM. 

“What the hell?” Weiss screamed. It was morning when she got here. She frantically gathered herself, preparing to leave. “Sorry, I have to go.” She began walking back onto the path.

“We leaving now?” Ruby said, running in front of the white-haired girl. Her weapon shook in her hands, her body bouncing with an excitement comparable to that of a dog wagging its tail. “Where we heading?” This girl was certainly interesting, albeit annoying. 

“Do you have to do that? I can go home myself.”

“Oh! We’re going home?” Her enthusiasm was endless. Weiss sighed and found her way out of the park, Ruby following close behind. No matter how fast she walked, Ruby stayed right beside her. They wandered the streets, no one seeming to notice the armored, one-eyed girl holding a war-scythe. She had been silent for most of the trip, only making an occasional comment about what she saw, mostly the mundane.

Weiss still had some time before she would leave with her mother. With her skipping school, maybe she could spend some time at home. Willow should actually be there for once. Stepping onto her porch, she removed her key. Instead of it sliding effortlessly into the lock, as usual, it was useless. She soon noticed a small envelope on the ground. She reached down, removing a letter. 

_ Dear Weiss, _

_ I’m sorry, but I changed the lock. We have to cover our tracks. I can’t explain who, but someone is going to try and follow us. Meet me at the pub on Luna Street at 3:00. That’s when I’ll explain everything. Destroy this note once you see it. _ _  
_ _ -Willow  _ _ Mom _

_ Dammit! She’s probably already wasted by now,  _ Weiss internally screamed, her face contorting in disgust. Ruby, taking note of this, placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Everything alright? What does it say?” She questioned. 

“It’s nothing. We just have a place to go,” Weiss responded, brushing the girl’s hand off of her. “I guess we can wait. There’s a bakery nearby.” The pair continued down the sidewalk.

“Bakery?” Ruby’s eyes opened wide, and her grin was wider than the sun. 

“I don’t think we can buy much, however. I don’t have much-”

“I can pay!” The girl was visibly shaking. “Do they take lien?”

“Lien?”

“Nevermind.” Her smile turned into a large frown.

* * *

Ruby kept babbling as they walked, her voice running non-stop. Eventually, a buzz was heard, Ruby proceeding to take out a phone. This girl was an enigma. She seemed more like a cosplayer than an actual knight. Was her armor even real? Weiss kept pacing, only to find silence instead of Ruby’s voice. Soon, she was pushed behind a bush, Ruby hunched over her with her weapon brandished. She placed a finger over her mouth as she peeked over the shrub. Weiss did the same, and in the distance, there was a figure, clad in black, searching for something.

“What the hell is that?” Weiss said in a hushed scream.

“I’m not sure, but it’s probably here to kill you,” Ruby whispered back. Weiss stared in horror, her mouth agape. “She’s definitely not the only one either. Probably sent by Torchwick.”

“Torchwick?”

“Crime boss. He’s been assassinating nobles for the past few years. Get down!” Ruby dragged her to the ground as the figure turned their way. Muffled footsteps approached the pair, a low growl escaping its mouth. It reached their haven, curling a clawed hand over and into the bush. Its fingers wandered until it became close enough to Weiss’s head to touch. A nail brushed over her hair and shot back. The thing screamed, multiple voices emerging from its black maw.

“Hold on!” Ruby shrieked, grabbing onto Weiss and bringing her close.

“Wait, wh-” Before she could even finish, she was caught in a whirlwind, being flown away by a flurry of red. She gagged, her breaths shallow and strained, with countless rose petals slamming into her face. No noises were audible, and the only smell being the strong scent of flowers. She coughed over and over again, a growing pain in her chest.

Ruby, on the other hand, was nowhere near as pained. In fact, Weiss swore she could see her laughing. Soon, they were free, Weiss falling out of the cyclone and onto a sidewalk, or rather into Ruby’s arms. Weiss dropped out of her grasp, her legs wobbling as she fell onto her knees.

“Sorry about that,” Ruby consoled. “The first time’s always painful.” Weiss wanted to throw up. Ruby grew silent for a moment, only to quickly spin her weapon, breaking some sort of projectile. The black figure leaped towards her, two pairs of claws bared. Ruby blocked the strike, and in an instant, was attacking with her own weapon. 

Weiss stumbled onto her feet, her feet struggling to carry her as she rushed away. Ruby flew past her head, slamming into a tree before reentering the fray. The beast was relentless, using wide, reckless attacks featuring no semblance of form or technique. Ruby was struggling to keep up with her opponent, blocking few strikes in its flurry of blows.

Their battle closed in on the fleeing Weiss, the beast moving forward with each attack. With a sweep of its leg, Ruby was disoriented, then grabbed by it. It sprinted at Weiss, dragging Ruby across the ground before flinging her at the scared girl. Before the impact, Ruby transformed into a flurry of petals, reforming in front of Weiss, before returning to her fight. She escaped into a nearby alley, the sounds of combat escaping her hearing.

She fell to the ground, panting, tears falling from her eyes.  _ How did I get dragged into this? _ A high-pitched scream got closer as Ruby was flung past Weiss’s hiding spot. This time, however, Ruby didn’t get up. A growl grew near as the beast, now on all for scurried past her. Then, silence. 

Weiss’s breaths grew short. Did it know where she was? She placed a dirtied hand over her mouth, attempting to quiet herself, but to no effect. She couldn’t hear it anymore. No signs that it was there remained. She crept forward, clinging to the walls as she approached the corner. She peeked out, seeing Ruby on the ground. She was still moving, but it seemed like she couldn’t get up. She let out a sigh of relief, only for a drop of liquid to land on the ground beside her foot, melting a small hole. A screech was heard as the beast leaped from a rooftop and behind her, then lurching forward and grabbing the girl.

Weiss screamed like a banshee as she was lifted off the ground and slammed against a wall, her body going limp as she was then thrown onto the street. She turned towards her aggressor, chuckling as it licked some blood off of its claws. It let out another cry as it charged at the prone girl. Weiss placed her hands in front of her, closing her eyes and embracing her end.

But no death came.

When she opened her eyes, the beast was frozen in ice. Even more amazing was the circular projection in her left hand. It was like her mother’s, only bluer, with rougher edges. It took a few seconds for her to process the past minutes, but she eventually remembered: Ruby! She ran to her bodyguard, lifting her off the ground. Ruby groaned, rubbing her head only to be silenced once she spotted the frozen beast.

“Did you do that?” She inquired, coughing between words. 

“I… I think so,” Weiss responded, still unsure of how she did it. In the distance, a siren was heard.

“We should get back to my uncle.” Ruby struggled onto her feet, using her weapon as a crutch before she and Weiss fled. Before they knew it, they were at the rendezvous point. Willow was already there, along with some others. As soon as her mother saw her, she ran to the pair, grasping her daughter tight.

“Weiss, what happened to you? Are you alright?” She rambled, her eyes watering. Weiss had no words to respond with, only hugging her mother tighter. After the embrace, Willow finally noticed Ruby, becoming as still as a statue. 

“S-Summer?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! The proper introduction of Ruby. I hope you all are staying safe and healthy. I'm pretty much confined to my home due to coronavirus in the area, so hopefully you readers are faring better than I am. Take care, and we'll meet again next chapter!


	5. The Beginnings

“S-summer?”

Willow’s voice cracked, sounding like a deflating balloon. She reached forward towards Ruby’s cheek, causing the girl to lurch back with a start. Weiss was awestruck, her mouth agape. She had heard about Summer so many times before. Well, of her. Weiss knew nothing about this mystery woman. 

“Lady Schnee?” Ruby spoke, soft and muted. 

“Please, you know you can call me Willow. It’s so good to see you again,” Willow responded, continually getting closer to the girl.

“I’m not Summer-”

“Nonsense! I’d recognize you no matter what-”

“She’s not Summer,” a new voice chimed in, one of a tall, lean, scraggly man, probably Ruby’s Uncle. 

“Nonsense, Qrow. It’s been so long.” Ruby edged away, getting behind Weiss.

“Lady Schnee, I’m not Summer. I’m her daughter.” Willow stared into nothingness, somehow scaring Ruby more than she already had. Strings of tears fell down her face as she turned into a saddened, wailing mess. 

“Mom?” Weiss brought her mother close, unsure how to properly console her.

“So- so she really is dead?” Willow left Weiss’s grasp and stormed away. Weiss attempted to follow her, but she was stopped by the man.

“Let her be. She needs space,” he spoke, somewhat deadpan.

“And who exactly are you?” Weiss exclaimed, trying to get past him and to the crying woman. 

“One of her oldest friends. Trust me, she used to get like this a lot. She always just needed space-” Her entire life, Willow had gone in and out of moods similar to this, and leaving her alone never did any good. It only led to loneliness and the overwhelming, putrid smell of alcohol.

“Just let me-” She bolted past him, only to slip on a small rock. He let out a small curse as he picked her back up and guided her away. Weiss, still not satisfied made another attempt, only to be stopped by a flash of red.

“We’ll go meet up with Yang,” Ruby said, noticing his growing impatience. “Come on, Weiss.” Then, leaning close to her, she whispered, “Uncle Qrow’s really strict when it comes to his friends. It’s best not to mess with him when he’s like this.” Ruby led her away and towards an alley.

“Where exactly are you taking me?” Weiss inquired, still on edge. “I’d rather be with my mom if that’s alright with you.”

“I understand that, but we’re a bit short on time,” Ruby replied, approaching one of the alley’s walls. She searched its bricks, soon finding one marked with a small, ornate heart. She removed it, revealing a hidden compartment. “Sorry.” She took a bag out of it, replacing it with her armor. Soon, she was no longer wearing her armor, but rather more casual attire. She wore a pair of skinny jeans, accompanied by a shirt for some band, Ok Goodnight. Over it, she wore a red flannel jacket. She carried some sort of spray, like what one would use for perfume.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh! We’re gonna go see my sister. She’s gonna help get us back to Vale.”

“And why would we need help for that?” Ruby grew uneasy at the question. 

“Um. You’ll see.” She returned to Weiss, a hop in her step. “Come on! I don’t want to keep her waiting.” And she began to leave, still not having told Weiss where they were actually headed. Before exiting the alley, she sprayed her face with whatever she was carrying.

“What was that for?” Weiss asked. Ruby turned towards Weiss, and miraculously, her eyepatch was missing, revealing that she had an eye. “How-”

“Don’t think about it too much. It’s not real, just illusion dust.”

“Dust?”

“Hmm? Oh! It’s a material we use. This type changes appearances.” It was said with complete nonchalance, leaving Weiss more confused than she was before. 

“Is it magic?” Ruby just shrugged in response.

“I dunno.” Great. It seemed like Ruby wouldn’t be able to answer any questions about her situation. There were different questions, however.

“Ruby, what happened to your eye?” She asked as they finally left the alley. Honestly, it had been on her mind the moment they met. If she really was a royal guard, then there could be some bewildering story behind it. Maybe a prevented assassination or coup? 

“Oh? That? I fell out of a tree.” Or maybe it was just that. “It’s actually a pretty funny story. I was fighting a nevermore near one of Beacon’s cliff and I decided that my best option would be to get on its back. It worked for a while, I stabbed it a bunch, and then it flew into a tree. I fell off soon after, Crescent Rose’s blade grazed my face, and the rest is history.”

Did she really expect Weiss to understand any of that?

“Excuse me?”

“Shhhh! We can’t talk too much about this. People might hear us.” Now she cared about that?

“But earlier you carried a spear. What’s so different about now?”

“Okay, first of all, Crescent Rose is a war scythe, and I am honestly insulted that you would say that. Secondly, that’s because illusion dust doesn’t work as well when in close contact with people. You were close enough to me to notice my armor. Here, see for yourself.” Ruby leaned in closer to Weiss, and surely enough, her eyepatch became visible once more. “Pretty useful when there’s not a lot of people around, but we’re supposed to meet Yang in a cafe.”

“Yang. Is that your sister?” Ruby nodded gleefully.

“She’s the best. You’re gonna love her!” Ruby shook in an adorable fashion. She was clearly excited. Weiss on the other hand still thought of her mother.

“Ruby, who is Summer?” The girl’s smile disappeared. 

“That’s a touchy subject. Has Lady Schnee never told you?”

“I knew nothing until this morning. I’m still not exactly sure if any of this is real.”

“Of course it’s real. Or is it?” She paused, expecting a laugh. When she got no response, she continued. “My family has been in the service of yours for countless generations. Or maybe just two. I can’t really remember.”

“Of course you can’t,” Weiss muttered, placing a palm over her forehead.

“Hey, it’s not my fault I’d rather fight monsters than learn history!” Ruby quieted afterward, looking around in case anyone heard her. “The Roses and the Schnees have had partners between them, in a sense. Your grandpa had my grandpa, and as for your mother, she had mine. We’ve been your personal bodyguards.”

“And I’m guessing that you are mine.”

“Yep! You’re stuck with me for the rest of your life.” How wonderful. “Lady Schnee didn’t really need a protector so my mother was more of an advisor most of the time. The two were really close.”

“What do you mean my mother didn’t need protection.” As hard as she tried, Weiss could not see her mother functioning on her own.

“Willow was one of the greatest huntresses Vale had ever seen! She once froze a dragon in time! It’s still at Beacon to this day. His name is Kevin. Hehe.” Dragon? Beacon? Huntress?

“Ruby, can you please use more understandable words? I don’t know what those are.”

“Wow, you really know nothing. We’re almost there, we can continue this later.”

“But-” Weiss was interrupted by Ruby, opening a door. The cafe was relatively empty, save for several people, none noticing them save for one woman in a corner. As soon as she noticed Ruby, she gave a small wave. Ruby rushed over to her and wrapped her arms around her, Weiss cautiously approaching afterward. 

“So, this is the princess?” The woman spoke. She wore an orange tank top, with a leather jacket over it, along with a pair of jeans. Beside her was a small bag and a motorcycle helmet. What was most noticeable, however, were her long, messy golden locks. “Take a seat, Miss Schnee.”

Weiss sat down beside Ruby, who clung close to her sister. Yang extended a hand to the white-haired girl.

“Yang Xiao Long.” 

“Weiss Schnee,” she responded, nervously shaking the woman’s hand. As she did, she noticed her fingers shimmer, turning metallic for a split second. Weiss shot her hand back, staring in a mixture of confusion and disgust.

“Something wrong? I’d guess what it was, but I can’t seem to put a finger on it,” Yang jested, chuckling at what she thought was a joke. “Not a pun person, are you?”

“You have a metal arm?”

“And you have white hair.” Ruby gently punched Yang’s arm. “Alright, enough of that. We’re here to talk business, isn’t that right?”

“I have no idea.”

“Ha! I like you already.” It wasn’t even a joke, though. “So, how much of our plan do you know, Weiss?”

“Um. We’re supposed to go back to Vale. That’s about it.”

“Sis, seriously? You were supposed to tell her everything.” 

“We got sidetracked. One of those new Grimm of Torchwick’s attacked us.” Ruby defended sheepishly. “I never got a chance.” Yang nodded acceptingly, and then took a book out of her bag. 

Placing it on the table, she turned to a map. It read: “VALE: KINGDOM OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY.” The kingdom seemed to be incredibly large, with a scale dictating it to be twice as big as Atlas. There were several islands on the outskirts, with the largest being called “Patch.” At the center of the map, taking up a large portion of it, was a massive area labeled “Beacon.” Notes, written in a pale, red ink, littered the pages, with circles and crosses around numerous locations, as well as a drawing of a building on the outskirts labeled “Belladonna Institute.” A very clear path was drawn throughout the kingdom, leading into the back of Beacon. It almost looked like what someone in a heist movie would have. Wait.

“Wait. Please tell me you’re here legally!” Weiss begged.

“Um,” Ruby responded, unsure of a response. “What would you do if I said no?”

Goddammit!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for y'all. A quick note about this one, huntsmen and huntresses are a lot more fantasy than they are in the show. Because of this, I have replaced hard light dust with "Illusion" dust. Aside from that, stay safe!


	6. The Chase

Goddammit!

“So we’re criminals?” Weiss whispered, her hands clenched so tight they made a noise. “Why didn’t you start with that?” The sisters stared dumbfounded.

“Your mom was supposed to tell you, I think,” Ruby replied, uncertain. “I mean, the general doesn’t really let anyone enter Vale at the moment. You’d be one no matter what.”

“How exactly is that supposed to comfort me? If we’ve been missing for around 18 years, how would you explain a royal family suddenly returning?” Weiss’s breaths quickened, soon sounding more like a generator than a person. “Gods, calm down. We’ve got a plan. Part of a plan-”

“Part of one?” Weiss gasped.

“So maybe we don’t have much, but it’s necessary. Trust me,” Yang interjected, closing the book and producing a letter. “This is signed by the current ruler of Vale, Ozpin. It should protect us from any punishments. We basically have diplomatic immunity.” Weiss’s breathing slowed, and her composure returned.

“You could’ve started with that,” she complained, prompting a long eye roll from Yang.

“Well, Ruby was supposed to tell you-”

“Hey! Don't pin this on me!” Ruby shrieked, shoving her sister. “How was I supposed to know this?”

“You would know if you didn’t fall asleep during our briefing-”

“But Port’s speeches are so boring!”

The two bickered back and forth, giggling like schoolchildren while Weiss stared in discomfort. Were they always like this? Is this what all siblings are like? With the way they laughed, there was a definite bond between the two. Yang tapped Ruby on the nose, a chuckle interrupting her thoughts. Ruby clung close to her, like a moth to bright light. It was almost desirable. Weiss pictured herself being a moth as well.

“Anyways, we should get going. We have a train to catch.” Yang stood up from her seat, collecting her items.

“Already?” Ruby sighed, sheepishly, fiddling with her jacket. “I thought we would at least get something to eat.” She sent a puppy-like face towards Yang, eyes watering, and lips quivering.

“Of course I got you something, Rubes,” Yang chuckled, messing with her sister’s hair as the pair went on a tangent. Ruby silently celebrated as the two proceed towards the exit. Weiss followed behind them, melding into the background like she was used to doing.

Leaving the threshold, she felt a buzz. Removing her phone, her eyes widened. 

_We’re not alone. Come quick._

3:00

The trio rushed back to their camp, Ruby back in her armor with her scythe in her hands. Yang had gotten rid of her jacket and donned a sleeveless gambeson coat. Around her hands were a pair of gauntlets, the one on the right larger and embedded into her metallic arm. She continuously loaded metallic, glowing spheres into its elbow, running at a pace slower than Ruby, but far too fast for Weiss to catch up.

Their camp was completely cleared out, With a messy trail leading away. Ruby knelt down, picking up some sort of cracked crystal, nestled within a black substance. A wispy trail, in similar coloration to the crystal, led away.

“This is time dust. Willow must be fighting a Grimm,” Ruby spoke, her cheery demeanor gone. She searched more until she found a large, bony plate, which she proceeded to inspect with a precision similar to that of a jeweler with a diamond. “An alpha Beowolf. About 4 years old.”

“You could tell all that from just bone?” Weiss marveled.

“Not a bone, an armor plate. Well, it’s made of bone, but you get the idea. I can tell the age from its thickness. We usually try to pry off their armor to get more lethal blows, but they do decay very fast, which means this was recent. Willow’s nearby!” Weiss was truly speechless. This clumsy, clueless girl could do all that in just seconds? A faint blush grew on her cheeks, gone in seconds after a loud whistle, unmistakably that of a train, attacked her ears.

Following the trail left by the battle, it led to a train station, completely emptied out, with rubble everywhere. The noise of the train grew closer and was the only noise heard. Ruby stepped in, scythe raised above her head, followed by Yang, holding her arm out like a gun. Weiss followed, cowering behind Ruby.

“Where are they?” Ruby spoke, lowering her weapon. “Did they win?” Yang, without breaking a sweat, began to lift up pieces of the rubble, and soon enough, she found the fading corpse of some black, wolflike creature.

“Damn. We missed the fun,” Yang scowled, dropping a large slab back onto the beast. “The others must be waiting somewhere.”

“Cool!” Ruby looked around, soon finding a place to sit while Yang fiddled with her arm. Weiss, still uneasy, paced back and forth through the building, removed her phone. The notification from her mother still lingered. Not alone? Why would she say that about a monster?

Some of the other rooms were still intact, she found. With a quick glance back, she determined it was safe to go alone. She entered what appeared to be a lobby. Benches were thrown around into what appeared to be makeshift shelters. A black goo, similar to what they encountered earlier covered the walls and floor with a much stronger stench than before. How the sisters could deal with this, she had no idea. Immediately, she sent a text.

_Where are you?_ She reclined onto the first intact seat she could find. Even with time, this was all still too much for her to handle. _How did you kill the Grimm? Are you still in the station?_ Another whistle from the train sounded, much closer than before. She laid there for a few minutes. Her eyes felt heavy. How many hours of sleep was she running on? She closed her eyes-

_What are you still doing there? Get out!_

Weiss shot up, stumbling back into a stack of benches. It fell backward, and underneath was the body of a portly man, the same one from their camp.

Only now he had a bullet hole in his head.

3:10

The unmistakable sound of a gunshot filled the air as something made impact with Weiss’s arm, releasing a spurt of blood and knocking her onto the ground.

“You missed!”

Two figures appeared in front of her, both dressed in black with dark masks. One of them, a woman sporting green hair, removed a pair of sickles from behind her back while the other, a tall man with legs similar to Yang’s arm, holstered a pistol.

“Of course I did, we need her alive.” Weiss crawled back, away from the pair, only for the man to pick her up and lift her into the air.

“Help! Hel-” She cried, only for him to cover her mouth. 

“So this is the Schnee? I wasn’t expecting much but this is still disappointing,” he cackled as his partner flourished her blades.

“Come on, we’re already late enough, the Huntsmen will be back so-” She was interrupted by a booming noise, similar to that of an explosion, entering the room along with a blast strong enough to knock the woman across the room. Yang stormed into the room, her arm opened up, revealing some sort cannon on its inside. Ruby, in a flurry of petals, dashed past her, knocking her out of the man’s grasp and slicing his hip. The huntress grabbed Weiss and dashed away, getting her out of combat while Yang battled the duo.

Ruby placed her hands around the bullet wound, muttering something too fast for Weiss to comprehend. Behind her, Yang and the man dueled. Her style of fighting was far different from Ruby’s, featuring aggressive punches and grapples. Her opponent used acrobatic kicks to keep her at a distance but to little effect. He was unable to keep up with the brawler, and soon enough, he was knocked back into a wall, creating a series of cracks all the way to the ceiling. She seemed to have won, were it not for his partner appearing out of thin air behind her.

She swung her sickle down, catching Yang on her arm and then throwing her backward. She made few attempts to actually attack, saying on the defensive as Yang released a barrage of punches. Her whirlwind of fury seemed successful until a sickle lodged itself in her side. A panicked Ruby dropped Weiss’s arm and dashed into combat, sweeping the woman’s legs and then making a deep gash on her back. The man, now recovered, charged at the girl and wrestled her precious polearm away from her.

Weiss felt lightheaded watching this, although the pain from her injury had disappeared. With a quick glance at her arm, it actually seemed to have healed almost completely, leaving a small mark as the only remnant. Slowly, she got up and stumbled back onto the ground. Ruby seemed to be losing her fight, obviously not as proficient with her fists as her sister. She made countless attempts to reach her weapon but was stopped every time.

Her weapon! In their struggle, it had ended up far away from them. Weiss spotted it, nestled away. She crawled as best as she could towards the scythe, careful not to be spotted. With another blast, Yang was back in the fight, the gash in her side fully healed. With a quick grab, she managed to throw him aside, and with another blast from her arm, which had a piece of itself fly off. His left leg was in pieces and a grey shimmer engulfed his body. When Weiss finally reached the polearm, the woman was back in the fray, attacking Yang from behind. She ducked back down as the sounds of combat continued. She reached, grabbing the weapon. Scythe in hand, she peaked out, only to see a whirlwind of petals lift her attacker up and throw her to the ground, creating a similar shimmer to her partner.

“Is it over?” Weiss asked, attempting to stand, albeit with difficulty. Ruby dashed over to her, taking the scythe and holding it close before helping Weiss stand.

“Their auras are broken. Even if they wanted to fight, they’d be out in seconds.” Weiss nodded, although she didn’t understand. The loudest whistle yet sounded. The train was here.

3:20

The train sounded off in the distance as Willow pulled her blade out of another Grimm. The air pungent and smoky, she dashed out of the trees. Qrow stumbled out behind her, still slashing at a Beowolf. 

“Come on! Just ignore them!” Willow cried out, multitudes of Grimm chasing after them. What should have been just one alpha turned into a whole pack, an ambush. The horde seemed endless, and the train was already in motion. The pair slid down a slope, the tracks coming into view. In the distance, it charged towards them, its wheels clacking like a horse’s hooves. A Beowolf leaped over them, a quick slash from Eiszapfen eradicating it.

_Hopefully, Weiss was safe_ , she pondered. Ozpin’s magic flowed through these train stations, but they only kept Grimm and outsiders away and, judging by the nature of this attack, this was definitely done by huntsmen. 

They reached the tracks, and soon, Qrow jumped into an open car. As Willow followed, she was grabbed and pulled back. An unholy screech threw her back, a black creature vaulting onto her. With a brief struggle, she threw it, a seemingly humanoid Grimm, off. As it went in for another strike, she blocked it off with a wall of ice, then sprinting back to the train. The thing sprang over the ice, swinging at Willow with razor-sharp claws. They grappled momentarily, and soon, the train passed them.

Breaking away, she plunged her blade into the ground, and soon a massive, glowing blue raven burst out of the ground. With a flap of its wings, the creature was thrown back. It picked Willow up in its talons and flew towards the speeding carriages. A black, spear-like spine pierced the summon’s chest, dropping Willow onto the roof. The beast ran after her, easily outrunning the vehicle. It reached Willow far too quickly, and the two continued their duel.

3:15

The train was surprisingly empty, with the sisters as the only other people Weiss could see. The car they were staying in was fairly plain, with only a few tables and benches along with an empty snack bar. Yang was lounging on a bench with various tools, tinkering with her arm, which seemed to be stuck in its cannon mode. Ruby sat at the bar, eating a muffin from the cafe. Weiss sat in her lonesome, inspecting her arm. There were no longer any signs of the gunshot and she was beginning to move normally again. A loud crash filled the room as a piece of Yang’s arm fell to the ground.

“I told you I’d work on it when I’m done,” Ruby spoke, not even looking away from her snack. “Just be patient.”

“Fine!” Yang yelped, dropping the screwdriver. “Ruby, where’s my phone? I gotta let Blake know we’re coming.”

“It’s in my bag. I’ll get it for you.” She took a few final bites before throwing away the wrapper and tossing a red pouch to her sister. Yang reached up to get it, only for her arm to flop forward and miss the projectile, falling back as it slammed into her head. Weiss couldn’t help but chuckle. Ruby hopped to her sister, taking a seat next to her and fiddling with the arm. Soon, it was removed and on the table. “Gods, how many shots did you load in? I told you to only use two at a time!”

“Then why didn’t you stop me?” Yang responded, typing away on her phone.

“How would I have known? You’re too slow to keep up with me!” She giggled as Yang gently shoved her away, a wide smile on her face. Ruby began to place the pieces of the prosthetic back together, working with a level of precision far greater than her sister.

“Come on Weiss, join us.” What? Yang gestured towards an empty seat, Weiss timidly approaching and resting on the bench. Yang, placing her phone back in the bag leaned forward, staring intensely at the girl. “So, what’s on your mind?”

“Excuse me?” Weiss replied.

“You’ve just been staring at us for gods know how long. What’s up?” Where would she even begin?

“How long have you two been doing this? Fighting monsters I mean.” A simple question, but it could lead to more.

“Well,” Ruby began, still fixated on the machine in front of her, “I started training when I was four. Yang actually decided to be a huntress when she was 10. She saw me get hurt a bunch and wanted to keep me safe.”

“Get hurt a bunch? That is a gross understatement. You slid off a mountain the first time I saw you on a practice hunt!” Yang interjected, visible concern all over her body.

“Says the person who jumped off a cliff during her first hunt.”

“It was running away, what else was I supposed to do?”

“Definitely not try and jump onto something 50 feet away, that’s for sure.” 

“Why you little-” Yang leaned over and gave her sister a playful noogie, causing both to giggle. After a short while, her attention returned to Weiss. “But enough about that, anything else?” 

“What’s it like in Vale?” She followed after a short pause. “What would my life be like?”

“That’s- comparing our lives to yours makes no sense. We’re just huntresses. You are a literal princess.” Ruby replied, strangely enthusiastic.

“And what exactly does that mean?”

“Huntsmen and huntresses are, how can I put this, like law enforcement? No, not really. Um. I guess we’re closer to the military. No wait, that’s just the military. Yang, help!”

“We’re like freelancers. Mercenaries.” The blonde consoled, peaking at her phone with a smile. “We only really get paid as much as our clients want.”

“And our families client is, wait for it-”

“Mine?” Weiss interrupted, prompting a lightning-quick nod from the girl.

“Anything else?”

“What was my mother like-” With a loud clang, the car door flung open, a beaten looking Qrow storming in, covered in black residue with his sword in his hands.

“Uncle Qro-”

“Willow’s not here?” He gasped, looking out the windows to the sides of the train. “Crap!” 

“Is something wrong with my mother?” Weiss yelped without a second thought. A bang was heard from above as a portion of the roof began to sink.

“Next car! Move!” the huntsman cried out, moving between the cars and knocking down the door. They dashed into another empty compartment, with a quick glance revealing the same monster that had assaulted them earlier. Behind them, the beast tore down the ceiling, and with a cry, it charged. Qrow leaped in front of the girls, with Yang frantically putting her arm back on. The trio dashed away, moving from car to car as Qrow attempted to fend off the creature.

They managed to reach the front of the train, Weiss proceeding to bang on the final door. Hopefully, she could warn the conductor. Yang, her arm limo, took a fighting stance, and Ruby stood in a defensive position. The door finally opened and revealed no conductor, a puddle of blood, and a smashed window.

The growl returned, the beast approaching them with a limp, tossing a seemingly unconscious Qrow aside. Weiss managed to stop it before, but could she do it again? She slowly raised her hand, looking away.

A flash, undoubtedly that of a glyph appeared, and Weiss turned back. The power was not with her, however, and the beast was now suspended in the air. With a furious cry, a blade penetrated its body, and it was then thrown back by a burst of fire. With a series of gestures, the cars were separated by icy spikes, and Willow flung the beast onto the tracks with a gust of wind strong enough to break one of the walls.

“M-mom?” Weiss couldn’t recognize the woman standing before her. Instead of the tired drunkard she usually knew, there stood a radiant warrior, like something from a fairy tale. She quickly sealed the holes with ice before bringing her blade into a scabbard placed on her back. Ruby squealed, not out of surprise or fear, but rather something akin to fangirling. This was broken, however, as Willow fell to the floor, passed out.

7:00

The rest of the ride was silent, with Weiss watching her mother like she usually did. Ruby managed to figure out the train’s mechanisms, and they came to a stop a few hours later. After a somber walk, they now stood in front of a large, white building, some sort of hospital, and emblazoned on a nearby sign in black letters, it read, “BELLADONNA INSTITUTE.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again. Sorry, this took longer than usual to post. It is currently the longest chapter and it took a bit of time to actually map out how I wanted it to go. Until next time!


	7. The Helpers

It read, “BELLADONNA INSTITUTE.”

A quick push of a doorbell unleashed a gentle chime. Wait, what kind of hospital had a doorbell? This was unlike any Weiss had ever seen: no parking lot, no emergency vehicles (or any vehicles aside from the train), and who could forget the goddamn railroad that went right past? The door seemingly opened, revealing a spacy and cozy lobby, more reminiscent of a hotel than anything else. Behind the door was a woman with a dark bob and amber eyes, who immediately brought Yang into a deep embrace.

“Your arm! Are you okay?” She spoke, Ruby and a dazed Qrow carrying Willow past her.

“It’ll be fine, don’t worry about me,” the brawler replied, seemingly ignoring the others as she planted a kiss on the woman’s forehead.

“Is that?” The woman turned to Willow, who now resided on a couch with a tired Qrow and Ruby. “You actually found them?” She approached Weiss, timidly extending a hand. “I’m Blake. Blake Belladonna. It’s an honor to finally meet you.”

“I’m guessing you already know who I am?” Weiss muttered, not exactly sure how to respond.

“Of course. Our mothers were acquaintances.” Weiss snuck a peek at her mom, still out cold. “Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of her.” As if on cue, a small group of people entered placing the woman on a stretcher and carrying her off, Qrow following afterward. “Come on, I’ll show you around. Yang, we’ve got some extra arms in case you need them.”

“You’re the best, babe,” Yang replied, using her good hand to grasp hers. Soon, Weiss was behind Blake, Yang and Ruby in tow. They passed by countless hospital rooms, none of which contained her mom. The building was relatively vacant, with few rooms in use. The building was somewhat of a mix of a hospital and a hostel, with alternating floors dedicated to each. Eventually, Yang left the group to replace her arm, leaving the three alone.

“What exactly is this place?” was the first of Weiss’s questions. Blake pondered for a moment, stopping in her tracks.

“Well, think of it as a place to pass between the world you know to another,” she answered. “I’m not actually like Ruby or Yang or any of the huntsmen. I’m like you.”

“So how did you end up with this place?”

“Well, it’s actually because of your mom. She was our first magical guest. My mom found her passed out in the middle of the street. We were just a hospital at that point, but Willow said far more than she should have. I’m pretty sure my family is the only ‘normal’ people who know about Vale. Follow me.” The raven-haired girl brought Weiss to the highest floor, which was far more ornate than any of the others. This floor was similar to a lodge, with a cozy fireplace that featured a shiny, beautiful sword above it and a series of couches surrounding it. In one of its rooms, Willow lay in a hospital bed, muttering in her sleep like usual. Immediately, Weiss rushed inside, startling a tired Qrow and a doctor.

“Mom?” She yelled, far too suddenly.

“Goodness!” the doctor shrieked, seemingly distracted. “You have warned us you were coming in!” She was clad in a white coat with short, ebony hair and yellow eyes. If Weiss were to guess, this was Blake’s mother.

“S-sorry. Is she okay?”

“Of course, her body just needs time to heal.” 

Overall, the mood in the room was a far cry from outside, where Ruby and Blake had a jovial conversation. The group’s weapon rested in the corner, along with various supplies. An uneaten platter of food sat on a bedside table, waiting patiently for Willow. Aside from herself, everyone seemed like they were at a funeral. She couldn’t blame them, however. Weiss stood there in silence, fidgeting.

“Oh! Where are my manners,” the doctor spoke, “I’m Kali, Blake’s mom.”

“I figured,” Weiss murmured. “I guess you know who I am already.”

“Of course! You’ve grown quite a bit since I last saw you. You were just a tiny little baby! So cute.” A loud snore filled the room as Qrow dosed off. 

“You’ve seen me before?” Weiss asked, completely astonished. If she wasn’t listening before, then she was now more attentive than a kid in front of a screen.

“Of course! Unless that was a different magical baby your mom brought here.” She chuckled.

“Magic?” Weiss glanced at her hand. She hadn’t been able to replicate what she had done earlier, but after seeing her mother in action, she could possibly use that power.

“Well, she kept insisting that it wasn’t magic, but you kept freezing everything. What else would I have called it? Can you still do that?”

“I- I don’t really know, to be honest. I didn’t even know about it until earlier today.” “That makes sense. None of the infants I’ve cared for kept their powers for very long. You should have seen Ruby. The only way to get her to stop moving was about 20 cookies. Hehe.” Despite her laughter, the woman frowned every time she so much as glanced at either of the Schnees. They reverted back into silence, the only noises audible being the chatter of Ruby and the beeps of Willow’s heartbeat monitor.

“You don’t have to stay here, you know. I gotta go check on some other patients. If she’s awake when I get back, I tell you.” Kali muttered gravely.

“Oh. Alright. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s the least I can do.” With a solemn nod, Weiss left the room.

The moment Weiss left, her spirits were lifted. Ruby’s laughter filled the room, Blake trying to hold in a giggle. Yang stood beside them, her arm on the ground beside some broken glass. Her face was flushed, cheeks red.

“So who’s gonna clean that up?” Yang announced in embarrassment.

“You’re the one with the metal arm. You do it,” Ruby replied, barely comprehensible over her chuckles. Soon, she turned towards Weiss, immediately beaming with somehow more joy. “Oh! Weiss! You missed it! You won’t believe what happened!”

“I think I can tell,” she said sheepishly.

“Suuuuure.” Weiss rolled her eyes as she sat down, Ruby making space beside her.

“I guess so-”

As they spoke, Weiss’s moved elsewhere. She’d only had a glance at it before, but upon closer inspection, the sword above the fireplace was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. The weapon was made of shiny, silvery metal (likely the same one as her mother’s sword), with a wide guard inlaid with red jewels. Engravings of vines and petals covered the blade, narrow yet razor-sharp with a tip that looked like it could penetrate a tank. The handle was made of white wood and was just long enough for two hands, ending with a small pommel which featured several rubies.

Once there was a pause in their conversation, she asked, “Who’s sword is that?” Now, Ruby stared at it with the same intensity as Weiss, only instead of awe, there was only nostalgia and longing.

“That’s my mom’s sword,” she muttered, almost whispering. “She made it herself. Treated it like her child. She donated it here before-” She paused, Yang now wiping a tear away from her eye.

“Before she died,” Yang spoke. The lobby now resembled her mother’s room. “She managed to protect your mom long enough for her to escape but was poisoned during her fight. In the end, she wanted the people who saved WIllow to have it as a memento.” 

“O-oh. I’m so sorry,” was all Weiss could muster.

“It’s fine. This tends to happen.”

Weiss, feeling guilty, tried her luck with another question.

“Does it have a name?” She questioned.

As Ruby tried to speak, she was interrupted.

“Myrtenaster.” Willow stumbled forward onto the doorframe, all sorts of medical equipment still attached to her.

“Its name is Myrtenaster.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter chapter this time. I've been distracted by other things, but I still wanted to get another chapter out for y'all. Until next time!


	8. The Princess

“Its name is Myrtenaster.”

Willow watched in awe as the light of the fire flickered off its blade, sparks flying off of the grindstone. Summer hummed to herself, her blade soon becoming razor sharp. Truth be told, although she aided her friend in the actual forging of the blade, this was the first time Willow had seen it in its full glory. Summer brought the blade off of the grinder and tossed it to the princess, who brought it to a workbench and began to rub it with oil. Summer skipped to her, looking intently as the blade was polished to a mirror-like sheen.

After a final inspection, she placed the blade on a display beside Eiszapfen. Although the zweihander was almost twice the other’s size, the two blades matched, with similar materials and construction. Summer leaped onto Willow, hugging the girl close.

“We finally did it!” She squealed, incomprehensible through her laughter.

“Careful! You almost knocked me into the forge!” Willow chuckled, embracing her friend. “We can finally hunt without supervision.”

“I almost don’t want to. They look so nice! I don’t want to ruin them.”

“I think it’s fine. You’re skilled enough to not damage it. Look at Qrow. Despite everything, his sword’s still intact.”

“But Harbinger’s ugly, no offense to him. These are pieces of art! At least Itzel’s whip is nice- wait, when do we show them?”

“They were going on a hunt later. I suppose we could surprise them-”

“Great! Let’s go!” She took Willow’s hand and practically dragged her out of the room before she could even respond.

“Summer! Armor.”

“Right! To our room!” 

“And the weapons.”

“Back to the forge!”

After retrieving their blades, they proceeded to explore the Schnee Castle. It was fairly empty, with the servants and other residents most likely sleeping or preparing to do so. Large, marble pillars rose into the air, portraits of the family littering the white walls. They climbed up endless stairs and soon ended up in a bedroom far larger than it had any right to be. A large, palatial bed with white and blue covers and curtains lay in the center of the room, with massive wardrobes of dresses and robes on either side. Portraits of the princess lined the walls, stopping for a massive stained glass window. 

In a different corner was a small door that led into the cramped, tiny room that was Summer’s.

After a few minutes, they both left the keep. Summer skipped forward, clad in a silvery cuirass with a light gambeson shirt underneath. She wore a knee-length skirt lined with chainmail, leather boots, and behind her, a flowing cloak which was whiter than the castle behind them. As she didn’t have a scabbard yet, she kept her sword by her hip, holding it by its ricasso. 

Willow’s attire was far different. She wore a blue and white robe, more similar to a dress than something for combat, with a light, gambeson vest. At her hip was a belt the held all sorts of blade oils. As her blade was far bigger, she held it over her shoulder in one hand. In the other, she carried a bag full of rations and baits.

They approached the edge of the forest, where a small campfire was found. Two people huddled over it. One was Qrow, wearing a set of chainmail hauberk. Beside him was Itzel Ammitola, a childhood friend of Willow’s. She wore a set of leather armor and carried a mask on her hip. Their weapons, a dirty, somewhat worn out kreigmesser and a bladed whip, lay on the ground beside them.

Willow and Summer snuck behind their camp, unnoticed. They made their way behind them and then-

“SALUTATIONS!!!” Summer yelled, causing Qrow to scream and reach for his sword and Itzel to fall over and turn invisible.

“By the gods! What the hell, Summer?” He wailed as Itzel reappeared. She beamed as she noticed the pair’s weapons.

“Wait, are you?” She murmured, incredibly quiet like she usually spoke.

“We’re joining you on your hunt! We finally have weapons!” Itzel softly clapped as Qrow stared in disbelief, still processing what had happened.

“That’s great!” Itzel silently cheered.

“What about our rations?” Qrow questioned, somewhat cautiously.

“Well, Raven left, so we can just split all of them. We don’t lose that much in the end.”

“Don’t worry, we brought extras,” Willow interjected. “We can just give Raven’s to Summer.” The entire group, save for Summer and Willow, who seemed completely unfazed, burst into laughter.

“Hey! I don’t eat that much!” She whined. “Do I?” the pair finally took seats beside their friends, placing their weapons beside them. “That doesn’t matter. What’re we hunting?”

Itzel sprawled a paper out in front of them, explaining, “There’s a flock of Nevermores in the area. The contract is to destroy the nest.” The paper, sure enough, was in a similar design to a wanted poster, featuring a sketch of an alpha Nevermore and a reward of 100 lien. “It seems simple.”

“Well? When are we heading out? The flock’s gonna be asleep!” Summer squealed.

“They’re gonna be wide awake if you keep screaming,” Qrow murmured, picking up his sword. “Either way, we were gonna leave before you got here. We’re actually behind schedule.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Itzel got up slowly, carefully wrapping her weapon into a loop and placing it at her hip. She beckoned the rest towards her, and together, they entered the forest.

A cool wind swept past the group, blowing off Summer’s hood. The walk to the nest was brief, but they struggled to keep quiet the entire time. Between Summer’s excitement about the mission and Willow’s joy from escaping her royal duties, what should have been a stealthy ambush was no more. Willow had been cooped up in the castle for royal matters for about a month at this point, and her friends bombarded her with questions. What did you do? Is your father going to step down?

“You really don’t want to be queen?”

That question. At the moment, Itzel was the one who asked it, but it was the same one that Willow had asked every day of her life. She didn’t care for any of her father’s business or whatever it was he did; all she wanted was to be a huntress like Summer would be (or how her father used to be). Sure, pretty much everyone would kill her if they knew she was out here, but she didn’t care. As far as she knew, the only thing she had to rule was the battlefield.

That wouldn’t do, however. No matter how much she wanted it, she couldn’t just hand off the throne to someone more deserving or willing to take it, with Itzel being her prime candidate. There was just too much expected of her. It took her months to convince her father to let her learn swordsmanship, and she still wasn’t allowed to do so without her bodyguard. That part wasn’t actually so bad. She fought better with Summer by her side. Her current plan was for the two of them to run away after Summer got her official rank as a huntress, but that would take Gods know how long. 

“Willow? Willow! You in there?” Her thoughts were interrupted by a whispering Summer, as they usually were.

“Oh! Sorry, I must have drifted away,” she chuckled.

“What else would you be doing? You were quiet for two whole minutes,” Qrow quipped. “Either way, we should keep quiet. We’re nearing the nest.”

“Yet you’re the one talking.” Qrow scoffed in response, causing Summer to giggle. A quick gesture from Itzel silenced them. 

“Here’s the plan,” the girl began. Despite her silent nature, there was no denying that she was easily the best strategist and leader out of them. Every plan of hers had been successful, from how to kill alpha Grimm to finding out how to get Summer extra portions during royal meals. Not only did she excel at it, but she enjoyed it, the main reason why she would make an excellent queen. 

“The nest is on the edge of a cliff. Willow, with your glyphs, you and Summer will stay on the wall below it. Qrow will wake up the alpha and lead it away. When the younger ones try and flee, the two of you will grab on to them and lead them into a marker I’ll set in the forest, where I’ll be waiting with a dust bomb.” 

“Why don’t you join Willow instead,” Qrow objected. “Your whip seems like a better grappler than, no offense, Summer is.”

“I said, Willow and Summer. Got it?” Her voice, while silent, was stronger than the fiercest Ursa. Qrow immediately shut up. “Everyone got that?” A few understanding nods was all she needed before she vanished. It was up to the rest of them now.

Willow’s glyphs, at a glance, could be deemed as humorous. Summer obviously thought so, as she continuously stifled laughs while walking up the side of the mountain. Willow, on the other hand, was shaking. They were high enough for the fall to kill them, and the added weight of her greatsword only helped to offset her balance. With one stray thought, she could kill her best friend! And herself too, she guessed.

Noticing Willow’s discomfort, Summer joked, “How long until Qrow messes this up? I’ll give him two minutes.”

“Heh. You really think he’ll last that long?” Willow giggled, her shoulders dropping and her glyphs glowing brighter and more stable. “But honestly, I think it’ll take a lot longer than that. He can handle himself.” A soft smile grew on her face.

“That’s probably true.” After a long sigh, she continued. “Come on Willow, this is your first real hunt! Relax.”

“Nobody has ever relaxed after being told to relax, Sum.” She replied, deadpan. “But thanks. I guess I was just expecting something else.”

“Something else? I thought you were fine with heights now.”

“That’s what I thought too! But just look how high up we are! We’re going to fall, Sum. We’re going to die!” Her glyphs began to flicker, fading in and out of existence. Summer shot forward and brought her close.

“Just breathe! I’m not letting you kill us.”

“THAT DOESN’T HELP.”

“Shhhhhhhhh. Breathe. Breeeaaathe.” The glyphs slowly but surely returned to full opacity, along with Willow’s sanity. Within Summer’s arms, nothing could hurt her. “I wish we could spend our whole lives like this.” Willow shot her a confused look. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to say that out loud!”

“What do you mean? Hanging off the side of a cliff? Trying not to look down?”

“Just the two of us. Hunting. None of that fancy princess stuff.”

“What about the others?”

“I mean, of course, they can join us, but you get what I mean. I just want to get away from here. I hear Vacuo’s open to huntsmen. We could live there. Wouldn’t you like that?”   


“It’s all I’d ever want.” The two smiled at each other and inched closer to one another. An ear-piercing screech broke their moment, nearly shocking Willow to the point of breaking her glyphs. 

“Sounds like Qrow.” Sure enough, a massive Nevermore was seen flying away, chasing after a small bird. The pair drew their blades and readied themselves, waiting for the oncoming onslaught of Grimm.

But nothing came.

They waited and waited, but there were no Grimm. No screams or shrieks.

“I’m gonna check it out,” Summer mouthed, beginning to climb over the edge. After a quick nod from Willow, she vaulted up and gasped. She immediately returned, shaking and barely clinging onto the glyphs. “We have to go. Now...” She was whispering, her unsteady breaths masking her words.

“What did you see?”

“H-Horseman!” Immediately, Willow shifted her glyphs, creating a larger platform. She stabbed her blade into it and shattered it into thousands of tiny pieces. The shards flew around her in a beautiful, effervescent spiral. Each shard transformed into feathers with trails of glowing turquoise and white. The feathers connected at their stems, forming a blue sinew that intertwined and formed a large body, beak, and talons. The pair fell onto a massive, ethereal Nevermore of blue and white rather than black and red. They soared away, trying not to look back at where the nest should have been. Not back at the hooded figure, sitting on a Grimm horse amidst rotting feathers and black sludge.

They didn’t get far.

When Willow opened her eyes, she was in the forest, with pain being the only sensation she felt. All movement was futile, with her body soaked in blood and a large branch sticking through her abdomen. Flickers of aura engulfed her body, attempting but failing to fix her wounds. It was ineffective, however. Much of it was used up in surviving whatever had brought her down. Was Summer nearby?

The sound of hooves grew closer and closer. A Horseman of Salem was approaching. From what little Vale’s huntsmen could gather, someone known as Salem led a group of riders who had managed to tame Grimm. They’d managed to kill countless huntsmen, and as it seemed, Willow would be joining them.

The approaching figure had a green tint to their skin and a pair of sabers on their belt. Clad in an armor made of bones and blackened leather, one could easily mistake them for a Grimm. They wore a mask, covering all but their mouth, filled with metallic, razor-sharp teeth. They hopped off their horse with a thud and pulled out their blades, cackling as they approached Willow.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Schnee princess herself!” They spoke, placing one of their blades on the girl’s chin. “My master’s gonna be quite pleased when I bring ‘er your head. Oh my, oh my. I can’t have you die by a tree.” The horseman grabbed the branch and forcefully removed it, tossing it aside like a piece of garbage. “That’s better. Now, stay still!”

They raised both blades and brought them to Willow’s neck. This was it. This was the end.

“Stay away from her!”

A burst of white rose petals flew past, knocking the horseman to the ground. They were quick, however, and immediately popped back onto their feet, prepared for battle. Summer, stood beside them, Myrtenaster in hand and various cuts and bruises covering every part of her body. The fighter snickered, and a green flicker surrounded them. They charged after her with supernatural speed, slicing with both of their blades at once. Summer, seemingly expecting this, burst through them, landing a grievous strike on their back. It easily tore through the leather, but, somehow, it bounced off of their skin.

“What the-” 

Before she could finish her thought, the Horseman headbutted Summer and slashed with their blades, narrowly missing her, but leading into a kick which sent her flying backward into a tree. With another strike, their blade embedded itself into the tree. Something was strange about the way they fought. They were too open, with Summer landing stab after stab to no avail. They had no sense of defense, hellbent on slaying Sum as fast as they possibly could.

Willow’s aura kickstarted, beginning to rapidly repair the wound on her stomach. Her arms, legs, everything began to function again, albeit poorly. At this point, Summer appeared to be losing, her petal burst growing less frequent and her jabs missing. With a quick search, she saw Eiszapfen on the ground beside her, it’s mirror-like blade dirtied. Crawling after it was difficult, blood still seeping out of her injuries. With a heavy strike with both blades, Summer was pushed onto the floor, pained as she pushed back against her opponent. Their lock was one-sided, with Summer being close to lying prone.

And then the horseman flickered.

The same flicker that started the battle.

Willow managed to reach her blade and stand, dragging it behind her as she stumbled towards her friend. The horseman seemed to be completely unaware of her and continued to be as Eiszapfen swiped cleanly through their neck. Their horse, previously standing like a gargoyle, burst into smoke and evaporated.

“Summer!” Willow yelled, falling beside her friend, and clutching her tight. “Are you- are you okay?”

“Me?” She replied. “You’re covered in blood! I thought you were dead!”

“I’m fine.” She lurched forward, coughing out a stream of blood. “Maybe I’m not.”

“Don’t worry, we just have to get you back home. We can take care of you better there.” Sensing Willow’s growing discomfort, she changed her mind. “Actually, Itzel probably has aura boosters.” Willow looked back at the now headless horseman, tears starting to form in her eyes. “Willow?”

“Did I just kill someone? Am I-” Summer placed a finger over her mouth, and with no words, not even a sound, brought calm to the forest.

Hours later, the pair returned to the castle, both limping with dirtied clothes and armor. Behind them, the sunrise illuminated their path, their shadows looking just as distraught as they were. Their search for their friends was fruitless, with Itzel nowhere to be seen and Qrow seemingly gone. If all went well, they would be back before sunrise and no one would have known they were missing. Both were failed, as waiting at the castle gates was none other than King Nicholas Schnee.

“Willow! Where in the Gods’ names were you?” He screamed as he rushed over to his daughter, pushing Summer aside. “Why are you hurt? Where’d you get that sword?”

“I-”

“Ah, forget it. Go get cleaned up and dressed. We have business to attend to. You have to meet your future husband.”

“My what?”

Summer watched, powerless, as her friend was taken away from her. She wanted to follow, she truly did, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

It was at that moment that her- no, their future was torn away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hot diggity damn I've been wanting to post this for so long. Definitely have not been procrastinating on writing this, hehehe. In all seriousness, this has been the longest chapter so far, and I really hope you enjoyed it. Till next time!


	9. The First Battle

“Its name is Myrtenaster, and it doesn’t belong here.”

Weiss stared back at her mother, who stumbled towards the ground, her aura flickering in and out of her body. She crawled forward, lurching like a zombie. Her hand reached out, grasping for the blade but only receiving nothingness. Weiss burst towards her, aiding Willow back onto her feet, before setting her down on a chair.

“Should we get your mom?” She asked, Blake promptly nodding and leaving soon after. “Mom, please calm down-”

“Why should I? It doesn’t deserve to rust here, it’s a weapon, not some sort of decoration! Summer wouldn’t have wanted this!”

“She’s the one who gave it to-” Yang began, cut off immediately.

“How would you know anything about that? You were a godsdamn toddler!” Her aura fully disappeared for a few moments, fighting for survival like a hurt animal. “I’ve known her my entire life! None of what you say makes any sense!”

“Mom! Calm down! You look like you’re going to faint!” Weiss shrieked. Sure enough, Willow looked paler and more flushed than she did while drunk. “Please, whatever you think, even if it may not be true-”   


“Quiet! Just be quiet!” Willow grabbed her head, screaming. “QUIET!” Weiss shut her mouth, but WIllow kept screaming. “Just be quiet!” She fell onto the ground with a painful thud.

“Mom, what’s happening? Mom?” Her words were meaningless. Kali and Blake returned, panting and tired, immediately rushing over to the delirious woman.

“Quiet! Quiet!” 

“What’s wrong with her?” Weiss pleaded, crouching beside her mother.

“I don’t know! I‘ve never seen anything like this!” Kali consoled, though ineffective. “Willow, what’s wrong? Willow?”

Then, silence. 

“Willow?”

“Mom?”

**. . .**

“Pathetic.” Willow’s voice was not her own, but a sinister, almost melodic tone. “The queen returns, weaker than before?” She shot up, her limbs limp, and her body like a ragdoll. “Is this truly the last hope of Vale?” She stiffened, soon pacing around the room robotically.

“M-mom?” Weiss quivered.

“Oh, she’ll be back soon. I simply want to see my competition first. Where’s Qrow? I want to see if I can tear off his other arm before I leave.” She turned to Weiss, her neck creaking and cracking. “The princess is here as well? I thought the Horsemen would be competent enough to snuff out a baby.” Ruby rushed to her scythe, pushing Weiss aside and standing between her and Willow’s body.

“S-Salem?” she whimpered, her polearm shaking in her hands.

“Oh. It’s you. Lady Rose. Your eye is still fresh, kept in my quarters.” Crescent Rose dropped to the ground with a clang, along with a bawling girl and a shower of tears.

“You told me it was an accident?” Weiss cried out, garnering quiet and fear. “I-I don’t know what this is, but leave my Mom alone!” Salem cackled, placing an arm around her. Weiss shot back, falling to the ground.

“You think you can order me? As for you, Yang, I have good news. Tyrian found your arm. Yang burst forward, aiming for Willow’s head with a fearsome punch, only for her to step out of the way and grab her. Salem took her arm, and with a surge of red energy, tore it to pieces. “What a shame. I’m afraid I don’t have long now. Good luck princess. Fighter.  _ Host. _ It’ll be a shame if you die before I can see you.”

Her body fell limp, and a terrifying horn sounded out.

. . . 

When Willow regained control over her body, Weiss was attempting to comfort a shivering Ruby.

“Weiss? Uh, I feel hungover. What’s happening? Why is Sum- Ruby crying?” She barely spoke. Immediately, Yang thrust her gauntlet at her, knocking her into a wall with enough force to create a small crater.

“Are you Willow? Answer me!” She screamed, Blake running in to hold her back.

“What the hell was that for? Of course, it’s me!” Willow grasped her chest, clearly in pain but with her aura finally stabilizing. “Wait-was I…”

“You were her host,” Ruby spoke, solemn and quiet. “It’s a terrible feeling, isn’t it?” She began weeping, long streaks of salty tears falling to the ground.

“Can- can someone please explain what’s happening?” Weiss asked, panic and fear growing on her face. “What- Are you alright, mom?”

“No, the Horsemen, or at least one of them, are here. Besides, it seems like S-Ruby can explain better than I can.” The woman glared at the terrified huntress with an intensity strong enough to break stone.”Go wake your uncle, Yang. We need as many fighters as we can get.”

. . .

As it turns out, four people were not enough to defend a multi-story building. Qrow was in better shape and guarding the front door alone, with Willow on the roof, glyphs prepared for a ranged barrage. Yang and Ruby split the inner floors between themselves, Yang on the bottom half and Ruby on the top. Blake and Weiss were sheltered on the top floor, all entrances barred and sealed. If the Horseman ever did reach them, all was lost.

Now, Weiss wanted nothing more than to be back in that tiny, cramped house without any care in the world. She never asked for this, never asked for this magical war, never asked for whatever the hell Salem was. She just wanted out. At least there was another  _ normal  _ person here. Maybe Blake felt the same way?

“Hey, Bl-” The sound of a distant explosion cut her off. Maybe another chance to ask would come up later. She glanced over, eying Blake search frantically through a large crate. “What are you doing?”

“Sometimes huntsmen leave weapons behind. I’m trying to see if we have any,” she explained. “Like this.” She removed a worn down katana from the bin with a black sheath.

“Do you even know how to use that?”

“No, but it’s safer than staying unarmed.” They stayed quiet afterward, only disturbed by the sounds of combat outside. Weiss could only hope that her mother was safe.

She made her way to a window, peaking through shoddy wooden barriers to the outside, which was already in ruins. It looked like the arctic, glacier-like spikes surrounding the roads with what appeared like snow overhead. Only it wasn’t snow, but rather ash, originating from an ethereal hellfire in the sky. A stream of flame flew far too close to her, and she shot back like a frightened rabbit. 

“Blake, please tell me there are other exits here! I can’t just stay here!” She panted, her breaths constricted, constrained. 

“No, at least none that we can reach,” the black-haired girl replied, a worried tinge in her voice and shaking in her hands. “I’m sorry. We’re stuck here.”

A pained screech came from above, and Willow went tumbling past the window, soon returning on top of some massive, glowing bird, countless smaller ones following. The flock was killed instantly in a burst of fire, decimating the wall that served as the girls’ only shelter.

Now they had a full view of what was outside. What should have been a single warrior was instead a horde. Monsters with black fur and protruding bones swarmed around the building with only Qrow to keep them at bay. Overhead, Willow and a masked figure battled midair, her massive zweihander clashing against some sort of bladed, fiery bow.

“We need to leave!” Weiss screamed, bolting towards the stairs, Blake stopping her instantly.

“Be quiet. If one of those things managed to get inside and it hears you, we’re both dead. Just stay here-”

“Stay here? I don’t know what’s wrong with you but I need to get the hell out of here now! How would they even get inside? Ruby and Yang are down there!” Blake was speechless at the girl’s sudden outburst, stepping back and letting her through.

Weiss tore off the barricades and burst down the stairs without caution, entering the floor below in a crazed sprint. Just like the higher floor, the wall was decimated, unrecognizable from its previous state. The rooms, previously cozy and fit for their patients, were now rubble and ruin. Still not safe enough for her. To the next-

A growl snuck out from behind the rubble, growing closer and closer. Weiss, as quietly as humanly possible, made her way to the next door that barred her path, to the next set of stairs, to freedom-

Ruby had barred it from the other side.

“Crap!” She cried out, immediately covering her mouth with her hands as the creature roared. It was massive, with long, vicious claws and fangs like swords. Overall, it looked like some sort of wolf. 

But wolves didn’t have eight legs.

The abomination charged at her, crawling like a spider on the walls. It contorted its body, leaping at her with a body like a slinky. Narrowly, she ducked under its spindly limbs and dashed towards the cavity in the wall. Once there, she paused. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. It twisted its back to face her and continued its attack. 

. . .

“Ruby!”

Yang had been forced up from her post with Qrow. Despite their combined skill, the horde was still too much for them. A few of the patients who remained managed to buy them time as they retreated upward. The situation was far too bleak as they stormed to the youngest huntress, slicing smaller Grimm with her scythe.

“Yang? Oh, gods! did we already-” She tried to say, cut off immediately.

“There’s no time! We need to get higher!” The huntsmen bolted up the staircases before finally reaching the penultimate floor, barred on their side. “Ruby, why the hell is it blocked here?”

“I thought Weiss would try to run! It should have been safer-”

A bloodcurdling scream from Weiss came from behind the door.

“Dammit!” And with a mighty, fiery punch, Yang made a new entrance.

. . .

The creature was relentless, charging at Weiss with an unrivaled ferocity, the girl barely managing to dodge it, tears pouring and her steps shaky. The beast began crawling on the ceiling, trying to grab her from above, only for the structures to cave in, dropping rubble onto itself and Weiss in a massive cloud of dust.

When Weiss could finally see again, Blake was attempting to fight it with her scavenged blade, albeit ineffective. It shattered within seconds, and a grievous swipe knocking her aside. It set its sights back onto Weiss, growling far more pained than before. She stared, ready for the end, only for a flicker to appear in the corner of her eyes.

Her gaze was now on the dirtied, mirror-like sheen of a blade just within her reach. She grasped its handle.

And she never felt more alive.

During its next strike, she stepped aside and swung wildly, slicing off an arm and creating a deep gash in its side. It recoiled in pain, nearing the edge.

“Did I just do that?” She muttered under her breath. It snarled at her once more, black, inky liquid pouring out from its side. “I just did that. Here goes nothing.” Now, for the first time, she charged.

As amazing as she felt, she did not know the first thing about combat. Her strikes were messy, with poor edge alignment and overswinging, but they still managed to get the job done. A light blue flicker surrounded her and her weapon, each strike growing stronger and stronger. Soon enough, the creature’s limbs were all gone and made a final strike to its head.

With a thrust and a blood-curdling scream, a massive blast of ice fired out of the shimmering blade, launching the beast out of the building and onto the ground below, bursting into a black puddle and smoke the moment it made impact. 

Another strike was heard beside her, Yang decimating the entrance with flaming hair. The rest of the group entered, and all stared in awe at Weiss, her aura flaring and a solid glyph at the tip of the blade. Myrtenaster was a sight to behold as well, seemingly polished after the blast, it’s mirror-like radiance returned.

Now, it was quiet, the battle outside somehow ended. Tired, Weiss approached the edge, leering down below, but her gaze drifted to her side, where, perched on the wreckage, was a dark, red-eyed raven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I procrastinated on this so much I didn't think I'd actually get it done. Anyways, things are probably going to calm down for a few chapters now. I hope you enjoyed this. Until next time!


End file.
